Server boots into single user mode

[Olga_1]

What would cause a "K" class box to boot into a single user mode.
1. /etc/inittab
init:3:initdefault:
2. /etc/passwd
root:*:0:3::/home/root:/usr/bin/sh
Any help greatly appreciated.

[Alan Wyskowski]

Try changing /usr/bin/sh in /etc/passwd to /sbin/sh
/usr isn't mounted so it may be causing you problems.

[pap]

Hi You need to change the default shell for root too.

Try changing /usr/bin/sh in /etc/passwd to /sbin/sh
/usr isn't mounted so it may be causing you problems.

so your new password file entry for user root will be as below :

root:*:0:3::/home/root:/sbin/sh

Thanks,

-Piyush.

[Sandip Ghosh]

Actually your home directory for root should be " / " instead of "/home/root" .

Sandip

[Darrell Allen]

Hi Olga,

What messages are you getting on the console?

Root's shell should not be changed from the default /sbin/sh. You create many problems for yourself when booting into single user or maintenance mode and root's shell is not the default.

If /home/root is in the root (/) filesystem, then that's fine. For security reasons, it's a good thing for the root account home directory to be something besides /.

Has your problem just recently began to occur? If so, what has been changed recently?

Darrell

[Helen French]

Hi,

Is it a new system ? Is it a new problem ? Did you change anything with AUTO file in the LIF area ?

Check your AUTO file with 'lifcp' command.

HTH,
Shiju

[Olga_1]

trying to reply second time, first time did not go through:

TO: Sandip

I have a box that have home directory for root: /home/root that does not boot into single user mode

TO: Darrell

It is not a new system, I am the new person here and not sure for how long this problem exists. I was told that last time somebody rebooted the box remotely and it went to single user mode.

So, should I try to change entry in /etc/passwd from:
root:*:0:3::/home/root:usr/bin/sh
to
root:*:0:3::/home/root:/sbin/sh
???
Thank you all for your replies.

[Olga_1]

One more thing:

On our test box I tried to duplicate the problem by changing the entry in /etc/passwd to
root:*:0:3::/home/root:usr/bin/sh

and I could not reproduce the problem, it did not boot into single user mode.

Thank you all.

[Patrick Wallek]

Regardless of whether the problem was duplicated or not on the test box, root's shell in the /etc/passwd file SHOULD ALWAYS be /sbin/sh. Anything else and you are asking for problems.

[MANOJ SRIVASTAVA · Accepted solution]

Olga

1./home/root is perfectly fine. I bet there is a problem wiht the Auto boot file , please check with the

lifcp /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0:AUTO file

2. In the single user mode type init 2 or init 3 to knwo whether the system is really setup to go tho the other levels manually or not.


Manoj Srivastava

[Helen French]

Hi,

Check the log files and boot messages. Do you get anything on the console ? Any file system errors ?

Check the LIF file -AUTO and make sure that 'hpux' is not starting with '-is' there.

HTH,
Shiju

[Olga_1]

1. I checked AUTO file:
hp
it does not have -is

2. As soon as I can reboot the box I will test
root:*:0:3::/home/root:/sbin/sh

Thank you all very much.